Rayon coughs $5,000 for Eymael’s send-off

FORMER league champions Rayon Sports paid Coach Luc Eymael a total of US$5,000 (Rwf. 3.4m) as the blues terminated the contract for the Belgian who left the country yesterday. Rayon Sports and Eymael decided to part ways after Ferwafa lessened sanctions slapped against the Belgian over his involvement in violence during a league match last season. The sanctions were reduced to a ban of eight matches instead of two years and a fine of Rwf200,000 following an appeal last month. Rayon Sports club chairman Theogene Ntampaka told Sunday Sport yesterday, “We have settled everything with him and he went back to Belgium yesterday. “He still had two months on his contract but after holding discussions, we reached an understanding of paying him US$5,000 (Rwf. 3.4m) to terminate the contract he had with Rayon Sports and everything was sorted out on a positive note,” “Eymael had expressed his desire to leave the club because he thought he would be doing nothing here with the eight-match ban still in effect,” “Sitting out eight matches was a difficult decision for him and it meant that he won’t have managed the club in the remaining matches of the Peace Cup competition, where we have our only hope of winning silverware this season,” Ntampaka said. Eymael, who replaced Didier Gomes da Rosa in January this year, had promised to take the club as far as possible in the Africa Club Champion’s League and win at least one of the titles on the local scene. But the club was knocked out of the Africa Champions League after playing a 2-2 draw against 10-man AC Leopards to exit the Caf Champions League at the preliminary round on the away goal rule. The blues also lost the league title to rivals APR with Rayon Sports finishing second, two points behind the military side. Team manager Thierry Hitimana and assistant coach Billy Mbusa Kombi are now in-charge of the team until a new head coach is named. Rayon Sports face AS Kigali in the 1/8th round of the 2014 Peace Cup competition on June 6.